Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys

Facing the stream of curses from Brigadier General Parix, not a single one of the sturdy men around him dared to speak up or join the conversation. Each of them kept their gaze straight, surveying their surroundings with the utmost focus, as if they were all absorbed in their sentry duties.

This bored Brigadier General Parix considerably.

"Who?" a burly man asked in a low voice, his eyes blazing as he stared at the pitch-black coast.

Soon, a gaunt man clad in leather armor appeared and, upon seeing Parix, bowed respectfully and said, "Brigadier General, I have been sent by Lord Magis to assist you."

"Since our original station has been destroyed, this time Lord Magis has helped us find a new base. It is still in the Wild Wolf Hills, but the location has been changed. It's now at the former encampment of the Wild Wolf Bandits."

"Their main force was just annihilated today, and reliable information indicates that it was by the same person who destroyed our base."

"Hmm? Go on, tell me more," said Brigadier General Parix, showing interest as he looked at the gaunt man.

Before he came here, he had already received Magis's assessment of the entire situation in Meist County, and specifically, the intelligence had pointed out the prime suspect for the destruction of their base—a newly minted Baron named Rein.

In Magis's view, if they wanted to raise the banner of the Zaral Rebellion again in Meist County, this Rein was the perfect figurehead.

However, in Brigadier General Parix's eyes, his mission in Meist was much more important, and he had considerable doubts about Magis's suggestion.

The aforementioned Rein was merely a 'small pebble' that could easily be crushed underfoot.

Magis, pah, just a high-ranking spy, with far too narrow a perspective!

"This... Brigadier General, I only heard the news. It is said that Rein faced down and killed the leader of the Wild Brotherhood, Giovanni, and a group of Wild Wolf Bandits outside Meist County City," the leather-armored man explained.

"Hmm? This Rein again?"

"That... what, the Wild Brotherhood? The leader? Is he very strong?" Parix asked, puzzled.

"Er... an enigmatic organization local to Meist, and the strength of its leader Giovanni is only slightly less than that of a Great Knight," the leather-armored man went on to explain.

"Only slightly less than a Great Knight? So, this Giovanni isn't a Great Knight?"

"Er... You are correct, Brigadier General."

"Heh, and how long did it take this Rein to kill this so-called leader?"

"They were evenly matched, and the battle lasted for quite some time."

"Heh, next time don't bother reporting such trivialities. What you need to focus on are individuals in Meist with the strength of Great Knights, got it?" Parix said with disdainful laughter.

"Er... Yes, Brigadier General!"

...

-----------------

Inside the study of Rein's new residence in Meist County City.

The conversation between Rein and Hamilton was still ongoing.

"The biggest difference between a Great Knight and a Knight lies in the body's secondary evolution and the use of primal force."

"During the Knight phase, as our training deepens, generally, when we reach the status of a Peak Knight, primal force begins to develop within our bodies. However, at that stage, we are still unable to control it at will."

Hmm?

Hearing this, Rein became somewhat perplexed.

He was already capable of controlling it at will, so Hamilton's statement seemed slightly off.

Nevertheless, Rein chose not to interrupt him and continued to listen. Find adventures on empire

Hamilton went on:

"The reason why a Great Knight's combat power can crush that of a Knight is key; a Great Knight can summon primal force to cover the body and weapon, thereby greatly enhancing both offensive and defensive power."

After listening to Hamilton's explanation, Rein's confusion didn't lessen but instead increased.

After some thought, Rein asked:

"Lord Hamilton, are there any who can control that bit of primal force at will during the Knight phase?"

"Yes, this generally only occurs among those with exceptional Will or conviction, such as a Peak Knight completely devoted to the Longsword, who might be able to control that bit of primal force in battle."

"At the Knight phase, those who can exert extraordinary combat power with a Longsword are referred to as Swordmasters. A Swordmaster possesses killing power comparable to a Great Knight's, but there is a vast disparity in terms of defensive power."

Ah, that makes sense!

Hamilton's words were now largely in agreement with those of Master Ganther, and the system's job-change prompt also corroborated this.

Comparable to the killing power of a Great Knight, huh?

Recalling the scenes of his own conquests over the sea serpent and the scale-bearded iron turtle, Rein indeed felt that with conviction and primal force-imbued greatsword, it seemed capable of slicing through anything.

"Lord, you just mentioned a Great Knight can wield primal force on their Longsword in battle. How does that differ from a Swordmaster?" Rein asked again.

Rein had his own guesses on this matter and was inquiring Hamilton to confirm his thoughts.

Hamilton shook his head before replying, "It's different, you can consider a Swordmaster as the most special among Great Knights."

"Their Longswords are not just infused with primal force but also their convictions. It's a peculiar combination of conviction and primal force, possessing exceptionally lethal force!"

As expected, Rein nodded slightly; this matched what he had surmised earlier.

Now, he had one last question: "Lord, regarding the high-grade Magic Potion essence from those giant beasts, are there any Transcendent distinctions or anything else that should be noted?"